ATP Finals: Jannik Sinner beats Alex de Minaur to reach Turin final as Carlos Alcaraz looks to join him
For Sinner, the “amazing week” comes at the end of a rollercoaster year.
On court, the 24-year-old enjoyed his second-best season in terms of titles to date, winning five tournaments, including a successful defense of the Australian Open and a maiden Wimbledon title.
This performance came against the backdrop of a three-month doping ban he accepted in February after two positive drug tests in 2024.
It was generally believed that Sinner had no intention of cheating, but the brief ban caused a backlash from some other players.
On Saturday, in front of the home fans, there were only cheers as he displayed another relentless display of serving.
After saving three break points in a rusty opening game, Sinner dropped four more points on serve only in the first set.
However, he was forced to struggle to break through against the tenacious De Minaur, who won applause from most of the Italian fans with several brilliant first serves and inspired defensive scrambles from the baseline.
Such brave tennis helped De Minaur escape unscathed from four deuce service games.
The Australian’s resistance was finally broken in the 11th game – Sinner converted his eighth break point of the match – and from then on it was an exhibition match for the home favorites.
In seven consecutive games, he won the first set and led 4-0 in the next game, then won the second match point to seal the victory.
Surprisingly, Sinner has chosen not to play for Italy in next week’s Davis Cup final, so this tournament marks his chance to reach the top as 2025 ends.
